#MrStealYourGrandma surprised by Instafame, shuts down haters

Jul 4, 2016
Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Irvin Randle, 54, an elementary teacher from Houston and grandfather of two, didn’t even know what it meant to be trending when he found out that pictures of himself were going viral.

The pictures, showing Randle looking absolutely dapper, have been trending as #MrStealYourGrandma. In fact, he found out about his fame from his daughter in Los Angeles.

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“She called and said, ‘Dad, you’re trending on Twitter.’ I told her I’m not on Twitter, and I don’t know what ‘trending’ means,” Randle said.

Another friend from Nigeria also called him to tell him about his viral status.

“He said my photos had 7 million likes. I was amazed at first. Now, I’m overwhelmed. I appreciate all the great comments,” he said.

“I’ve always dressed like this. I’ve just been wearing things a little tighter that’s all.”

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But in the digital age, more attention always translates to more haters.  Randle recently hopped on Facebook to address rumors started by trolls on his account.

“When u’re old and look so fine and women all over the world has crush on you, jealous young men will start spreading “the gay rumor,”‘ Randle wrote.  “I have nothing against gays, how somebody chooses to live their lives is none of my business. I’m not homophobic but I’M NOT GAY. Young men instead of hating, wake up and go to the gym.”

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